Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble are scheduled to perform in Taiwan in April to mark the 10th founding anniversary of the initial project that eventually led to the formation of the ensemble.

 

From September 2009 on, the ensemble went on a world concert tour to England, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Romania. The Silk Road Project’s 10th anniversary celebrations also include a series of concerts in Asian countries like Taiwan, Korea, Macau, and Singapore.

Founded in 1998 as an artistic, cultural and educational organization, the project aimed to connect artists and audiences around the globe. Two years later, Ma assembled a group of musicians and established the Silk Road Ensemble. Driven by his background in anthropology, Ma sought to use music to build friendly interaction among different races. He compared the Silk Road to an ancient Internet which gave rise to unprecedented multicultural exchanges.

Ma also believed that by listening to music composed and played by musicians of varied nationalities, people from around the world could share each other’s cultures.

The ensemble’s members come from 27 nations such as the U.S., Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Korea, Japan, China, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Israel, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Pakistan. Their musical instruments range from cello, contrabass, viola, violin, tabla, ney, kamancheh, ruan, guitar, shakuhachi, pipa, sheng, bawu to percussion.

The prelude of the performances in Taipei will be an improvisation of Wandering Winds, followed by Ahmet Adnan Saygun (Partita, Opus 31, Allegretto), Ascending Bird (Persian traditional folksong), Distant Horizons, Ritmos Anchinos, Silent City, White Snow in the Sunny Spring (Chinese traditional folksong), and Air to Air.

In Taichung and Kaohsiung the programs will open with the same improvisation, followed by White Snow in the Sunny Spring, Arabian Waltz, Shristi, Song of the River Olt, Turceasca (Turkish song), another improvisation of Persian Traditional, Chinese Swallow Song, and Ambush from Ten Sides.

Apart from these concerts organized by the Management of New Arts, Ma plans to hold a class and workshop to introduce several ancient instruments to Taiwan audiences.

The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma will be presented at the National Concert Hall in Taipei at 7:30 p.m. on April 22, at the Fulfillment Amphitheatre in Taichung at 7:30 p.m. on April 24, and at the Jhihde Hall in Kaohsiung at 7:30 p.m. on April 25.